New Pinball Dictionary: Crank it Down / Crank it Off

To chose the option of a guaranteed award over playing a mode or feature that may be worth more.

Similar to a “Let’s Make a Deal” choice where a player can choose the guaranteed cash or play a game for a chance to win more prizes.

Refers to the “Crank it Up” mode on Stern’s Metallica. At the start of Crank it Up, the player has a choice of taking a points award or they may choose to play one of the songs available for a chance to earn more points.

Other examples:
Star Trek:TNG: Take 25 Million or Holodeck Video Mode
Street fighter 2: Take 10 million or Multiball
Dirty Harry: Feel Lucky – Take a points award or “Load the Gun” for a larger award
JackBot: Casino Games – Take the guarunteed points or play for Double or Nothing

An adjunct to Crank it Down only applicable to version 1.6 or earlier:

On your last ball, start Crank it Up while losing by less than 5 million points. Choose to Crank it Down and take the 5 million. Then, walk away from the game thinking you have won.

Only to realize there’s a bug that doesn’t award any points when you Crank it Down, which causes you to lose the game. Then proceed to get angry instead of taking responsibility for yourself. Make sure your score passes your opponent’s score before walking away from the game.

Nominator: Josh Sharpe
Supporters: 7 up-votes on TILTForums

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